Solar Garden Lights Lighting

Some lights also have a power-saving mode, which reduces the brightness of the bulbs but doubles the runtime, so your lights turn on for longer during overcast weather and after the shorter hours of daylight in winter. Awarded a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy for the best string lights, these sparklers have been well thought-out with a good range of features. With a clear cable and 10 clusters of 200 warm white LEDs these pretty string lights will create a twinkle in a tree or along a fence line. IP44 rated, they’re ideal for use outside and are rechargeable via the included USB cable as well as by solar.

Solar lighting that just works.

A passionate believer in self-reliance, his aim is to inspire others to give it a go themselves and not worry about making a few mistakes along the way. A regular contributor to popular DIY blogs and a recent addition to the BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine team, he loves tracking down the best new tools and writing about them. "I love these light, bought 2 pairs which light up the patio area beautifully. A bit pricey but well worth it." Sue Fisher, Freelance Garden WriterSue’s extensive horticultural career spans over 40 years, starting with a decade in the garden centre and nursery industry before developing into an accomplished gardening writer, designer and speaker.

After this, turn them on, and they’ll light up as soon as the light fades, staying lit for up to six hours. Solar lights are environmentally friendly lighting, and with a good set, you can create an ambience that lets you enjoy your garden long after dark. Powered by solar panels, they absorb daylight and convert it to electrical energy, charging your lights so they’re ready to go at night. With string and fairy lights, keep an eye out for how much cable there is between the solar panel and the first bulb.

The solar panel is discrete, and they’re easy to control through an on/off switch and eight lighting modes. There’s also a generous three-metre lead of cable between the panel and the first light, so there’s a lot of slack to play with when you’re setting these up. These string lights have 10 plastic warm white bulbs spread along the cable every 50cm, and each has a hook on the top for easy hanging.

• Winner of a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy for best stake lights, these lights are ideal for guiding the way or dotting through beds in the garden.
• After this, turn them on, and they’ll light up as soon as the light fades, staying lit for up to six hours.
• This string of solar fairy lights has 100 white LEDs along 10m of wire, which means they’re ideal for running along fences or using to decorate eating areas.
• The instructions are clear, although in tiny print which is makes setting up more difficult than it needs to be, especially as it has five different modes of operation.
• With 10 glass bulbs strung along a thick UK weatherproof cable and a generous 3W solar panel, they’re good-looking and easy to use.

ite Antheia 4.2m Outdoor LED Solar-Powered Festoon Lights 46lm(336VG)

As a rule of thumb, the bigger the panel, the brighter the lights, and the longer they’ll stay lit. That said, lots of lights run perfectly well with smaller solar panels, so just check you’re happy with the lighting effect they provide and their runtime. For larger solar panels, like those that power solar spotlights, consider if the panel’s going to be visible, as it may be unsightly. Compact, self-contained and looking less like a security light than others on test, this powerful 1000 lumen light nonetheless detects motion at some 10m distance and is capable of triggering up to 500 times per night for 15 seconds at a time. It’s operated by remote control which works up to 8m away, but the actual switch is on the light itself. The instructions are clear, although in tiny print which is makes setting up more difficult than it needs to be, especially as it has five different modes of operation.

Sue writes regularly for BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine, GardenersWorld.com and Garden Answers magazine. She has written 10 books on subjects including container gardening, plants for small gardens and designing with colour, and she has co-authored other books with some of the biggest names in gardening. Kay Maguire, Magazines EditorKay trained at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and has been writing and making films about gardening ever since. After several years as Reviews Editor, building up our reviews section into a leading resource for UK gardeners, she has now become Magazines Editor for BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine, responsible for all print output. "Love these lights they may be small but they are fab very bright and I love them . Bought four boxes." If you’re updating your social space, find inspiration with our round-ups of the best garden furniture, parasols, garden loungers, deck chairs, and hammocks.

Factoring lighting into a design will really transform what you get from your space. If you’re planning on spending lots of time in the garden in the evening, you might also want to consider growing plants with white or night-scented flowers. Premium garden, wall, festoon and security lights from the UK solar specialists. Bestselling garden, wall, festoon and security lights from the UK solar specialists. A very useful feature, you can switch off your solar lights at the end of the evening and protect local wildlife and keep your neighbours happy.

Easy to set up, you simply need to attach the crook to the pole, but it does take three days to initially charge if it’s outside. This lets you charge the light from a USB plug, which takes just a few hours, and is a useful option if you can’t wait for it to be charged by sunlight or want to give it a boost if it’s overcast or wintery. After that, simply press the on/off switch on the base of the lantern for three seconds, and you’re ready to go. "Writing this after night 1, having woke up at 3am and come down stairs, these lights are still on and super bright, and that’s after only getting a half day of sun. Some of the best solar lights I’ve ever bought. Well done solar centre, amazing product."

Particularly relevant for solar spotlights, motion sensors make lights come on as you approach or when there’s activity nearby. This can extend your lights’ lifetime and, as they only light up in short bursts, they’re also less dependent on natural light levels, working just as well in the winter as the bright summer months. Unlike mains-powered lights, solar lights are cheap and easy to install, and because these eco-friendly lights are powered by the sun, they’ll save you money on electricity bills and batteries. With the right lights, you can have effective, automatic garden lighting that won’t break the bank. "Love these firefly garden lights. I have them at either side of my front door with some situated towards the side of my cottage. They emit a surprising amount of light and blend well in a rural setting. They also serve as security lighting without being too obvious." The ingress protection (IP) rating indicates how easily SRL solar panels dust and water can enter electronics and, therefore, how weatherproof and water-resistant the lights are.

You may have seen this if you’ve ever shopped for outdoor tech like wildlife cameras or wearable tech like sports headphones. This rating isn’t always given, but if you see it, look for solar lights with an IP rating of 44 and above, which means they’ll be weather-resistant. "Really love these lights, look good on the black fence, not too bright give a lovely glow. Tempted to order another set. Quick delivery too."

It’s easy to install and straightforward to operate with an on/off switch that is well-protected from the weather. This set of three sweet lights is simple to use and brings a soft glow to the garden after sunset. A silver hook on the top of each light makes them easy to hang on branches or string up and loop over a pergola, and a switch on the side ensures you can turn them off at the end of the night. Although they’re entirely plastic, they stood up well to the weather in our test, and despite the small solar panel on the top of each light, they were the first to come on at dusk and lasted well into the morning in summer if not switched off. Dimming, glowing, and twinkling light modes create ambience and enhance social areas of the garden, but they’ll also extend your lights’ lifetime and how long they’ll light up on a given night.

After this, turn it on, and when the light levels drop, it will flick on and provide up to six hours of bright light. Compact, functional, and easy to set up with clear instructions, this is a sturdy, yet affordable, solar-powered security light. With three adjustable lights, a central light that can pivot 90° up and down, plus two side lights that can adjust 360° up and down between the two, and a further 120° side to side, the unit is capable of covering a 180° field. The two PIR sensors can detect movement at 8m away, illuminating a wide range of situations, such as a front door, a side path or a driveway with 800 lumens of light. They cast warm but bright light with a gorgeous dappled effect thanks to the Moroccan-inspired pattern. We like the long stake, which allows them good clearance amongst most plants in a flowerbed, and they’re compact, so they don’t take up too much room.

This string of solar fairy lights has 100 white LEDs along 10m of wire, which means they’re ideal for running along fences or using to decorate eating areas. There’s also two metres of cable between the solar panel and the first LED bulb, so check this provides enough distance if you need to position the panel in the sun and string the lights up in a shady spot. We like that it comes with a stake as well as a wall mount, which gives plenty of flexibility when it comes to setting up your solar panel. If you have a north-facing garden and charging outdoors is an issue, there’s also a USB cable, which provides enough power for 12 consecutive nights on a single indoor charge. While they turn on and off automatically, you can also do this manually by using the on/off switch. These string lights are good quality and, although the bulbs look like glass, they’re made of tough plastic and more than capable of holding up to accidental knocks.

The solar panel is a good size, although not as large as the Madison solar drop lights, and with a clear on/ off button, charging indicator and mode adjustor, with eight different lighting modes to choose from. There’s a reasonable 1.5 cable length from the solar panel to the first light. Solar lights are powered by internal rechargeable batteries, charged through the day by a solar panel. The brighter the day, the more power is stored by the battery, and the longer the light will shine.